Machine for fixing attache case locks and similar fastenings



April 24, 1934- c. w. CHENEY 1,955,790

MACHINE FOR FIXING ATTACl-IE CASE LOCKS AND SIMILAR FASTENINGS Filed Feb. 13, 1933 way! ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 24, 1934 NHTE STAES MACHKNE FOR FIXING ATTACHE CA SE LOCKS AND SIMILAR FASTENINGS Charles William Cheney, Soho, Birmingham,

England Application February 13, 1933, Serial No. 656,560 In Great Britain January 9, 1932 3 Claims.

The invention is embodied in the hereinafter described and claimed machine for fixing locks and similar iastenings to attach suit and like cases. a

5 Such locks and fastenings are almost universally provided with outstanding prongs to be forced through the material of the case or the like and subsequently clinched downto rigidly fix the lock or fastening to said material.

Usually two locks or iastenings are fixed to each case, one beyond each end of the handle, for hinged hasps to engage.

' Cases are of difierent sizes, that is to say, attache cases from twelve inches up to eighteen inches, and suit cases from eighteen inches up to thirty inches, and the fastenings fitted to them are what may be called small iastenings and large fastenings.

In the specification of my prior British Letters Patent No. 215,478 tools operating in a press are described and illustrated wherein a single lock or the like is placed facedownwardly upon a bottom tool with its prongs extending upwardly while the top tool descends to firstly cause the prongs to penetrate the material and while the penetrating pressure is. maintained clinch the prongs to fix the lock to the material by one descent of the plunger.

The machine according to this invention has the general characteris es of a press, but serves for simultaneously fixing two or more'locks or fastening parts in correct relative positions by one descent of a plunger and in proper relation to the size and shape of the attache case or the like, while the tools for penetration and clinching can be placed without skill in their proper definite positions relative to the size of the case being operated upon and, further, are also interchangeable to the same plunger and bed without dislocation of any of the working parts of the machine, so that if three sets of tools are needed to fix the various small sizes of lock to the small size of case each set is interchangeable to the same plungerand bed, as also are the other sets for the largersizes of lock or fastening.

The machine embodies a bed and a plunger and a plurality of pairs of tools applied to the bed and plunger in an interchangeable manner and so as to be placed without skill in set positions to suit the various sizes of cases, and these pairs of tools are fixed parts of the bed and plunger except for their adjustability and interchangeability.

Preferably, the machine embodies a horizontal 5 plunger bar of rectangular cross-section carried by the plunger, and two top tools mounted upon the plunger bar, one each side the plunger, the bed carrying two slides fitted with bottom tools to co-act with the top tools. Both tools are applied and removed irom the ends of the plunger bar and bed, being slid thereonto and therefrom.

It is preferable to adjust the top and bottom tools to their set positions by manually operated positioning levers engaging notches, and to clamp the positions after adjusting by clamping screws Adjustable positioning devices are applied to the bed. to correctly position the material in relation to the tools.

The drawing forming part hereof and the description hereinafter appearing with reference thereto will make the invention clear.

Fig. 1 shows a front and edge view of a lock of the known kind usually fixed to attach cases.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a machine for fixing two locks simultaneously.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of Fig. 1 on the dotted lines A, B, looking to the left.

The machine has the general characteristics of a press, that is to say, comprises a horizontal taa ble a supported by an underframe c and a plunger head (1 carried by a vertical slide-way e forming part of a back extension 62 of the machines frame. Said plunger head d has, as a rigid part of it, a horizontally directed plunger bar 1 extending for the approximate length of the table a, the slide-way e being in the middle of the length of the plunger bar and therefore in the middle of the length of the table. Said plunger bar f is of rectangular cross section, extends each side the plunger head at and is formed with distanced apart notches f2. When the plunger head moves vertically up and down the plunger bar f moves as part of it. The plunger head ismoved up and down from a treadle action through a lever g and a link h, and an adjustable pin 92 is carried by the plunger head to co-act with a stop 3 of the frame to limit the downward movement of said plunger head.

Mounted upon the plunger bar one each side of the plunger head (1, are two top tools 2', 2', fitting the plunger bar accurately so that there is no lateral displacement of them on said bar, but so that each top tool can slide along the bar and be placed thereon from the end of said bar. Each top tool 2' is fitted with a small positioning lever 22 and with a fixing screw 2'3, the lever to engage any of the notches f2 which are at set positions and the screw to fix the top tool to the plunger bar by clamping.

The construction of each top tool embodies a sleeve i4 having vertically depending rigid pegs i5 corresponding in number to the prongs, a horizontal pressure plate i6 vertically slidable over the pegs and a yoke i7 vertically slidable over the sleeve and carrying the pressure plate at its lower end. The yoke i7 and pressure plate i6 are pressed downwardly by a spring i8 encircling a bolt i9 fixed to the sleeve and operating in compression between the upper end of the yoke i7 and an adjustable wing nut 2'10 applied to the upper end of the bolt so that the pressure of the spring can be adjusted to vary resistance of the pressure plate to to upward movement. The sleeve 24 fits the cross section of the plunger bar accurately so that it is held immovable except for sliding on said bar while the yoke fits the sleeve accurately and the pressure plate 2'6 has holes in it to fit the pegs i5 accurately. The positioning lever 2'2 is pivoted upon the sleeve and extends forwardly through a slot in the yoke for hand operation, both sleeve and yoke being cut away where this lever is applied.

The horizontal table a is formed with similar and corresponding notches 0.2 to the notches 2 of the plunger bar 1. Mounted upon this table are two slides 7', 9' each rigidly carrying a bottom tool 1 providing by its upper surface a seating for a lock r, Fig. 1. Each slide carries a positioning lever m and a clamping screw 11., the lever to engage any one of the adjacent notches d2 of the table and the clamping screw to fix the slide after the lever and notches have adjusted it. Except for sliding on the table, said slide and bottom tool is immovably held positioned beneath the respective top tool.

Adjustably fixed to the front of the table a is a positioning bar 0 providing at the one side of it a vertical surface 02 against which the material of the attache case is placed by hand to position said material to the top and bottom tools in one direction. Also at the back of the machine and supported upon the table a is an adjustable vertical member r constituting a back stop against which the forward edge of the material of the attache case can be placed for positioning said material relative to the top and bottom tools in a transverse direction.

, The use of the machine is as follows:-

Two locks such as a: are placed one in each bottom tool I with its penetrating prongs :82 projecting upwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The bottom tools provide positioning seatings for these looks. The material y of the attach case is placed between the tools over the prongs and positioned by the parts 0- and r. The earlier part of the downward movement of the plunger bar f causes the pressure plates 56 to force the material y down so that the prongs of both locks penetrate it, the springs 2'8 being sufficiently strong for this purpose. After complete penetration, and while the penetrating pressure of the pressure plates is maintained, the further descent of the plunger bar carries the sleeves and the pegs .5 down independently of the pressure plates to clinch all the prongs and simultaneously fix the two fastenings to the material. The plunger bar afterwards lifts and separates the tools of each pair, so that a fresh pair of locks and fresh material can be applied.

From the foregoing it will be clear that the one machine can be used for fixing all'kinds of locks, fastenings and the like. Not only are two fastenings fixed simultaneously and accurately in relation to each other, but they can be fixed in different positions in accurate relation without any skill of the operator by the simple change of position of the slidable tools, which are otherwise immovable, and that for different sizes of fastenings or looks it is only necessary to interchange tools which are all suitable to the same plunger bar I and the same table a.

The action of the pressure plate i6 and of the clinching prongs i5 in relation to the fixing of the fastening r to the material y is well known from the publication of the specification of my prior British Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for attaching fasteners, a bed plate, a removable replaceable tool slidably mounted thereon, the bed plate and tool having interengaging projections and recesses to restrain the tool against lateral movement with respect to the bed plate, means for positioning the tool on the bed plate at fixed points, a plunger head having an element extending laterally to the path of movement of the plunger head and parallel to the path of movement of the tool on the bed plate, another removably, replaceable tool slidably mounted on the plunger element, and means for positioning the tool on the plunger element at fixed points aligned with the fixed points at which the tool on the bed plate is adapted to be positioned.

2. In a machine for attaching fasteners, a bed plate, a removable, replaceable tool mounted thereon, the bed plate and tool having interengaging projections and recesses to restrain the tool against lateral movement with respect to the bed plate, cooperating abutments on the bed plate and tool for positioning and fastening the tool on the bed plate at several fixed points, a plunger head having an element extending laterally to the path of movement of the plunger head and parallel to the path of movement of the tool on the bed plate, another removable, replaceable tool slidably mounted on the plunger element, cooperating abutments on the plunger head and tool for positioning the tool on the plunger at several fixed points, the abutments on the plunger element being aligned with the abutments on the bed plate.

3. In a machine for attaching fasteners, a bed plate, a removable, replaceable tool slidably mounted thereon, the bed plate and tool having interengaging projections and recesses to restrain the tool against lateral movement with respect to the bed plate, a series of notches in the bed plate along the path of the tool, a lever suitably mounted on the tool and adapted to engage the sides of the groove for positioning and fastening the tool on the bed plate, a plunger head having an element extending laterally to the path of movement of the plunger head and parallel to the path of movement of the tool on the bed plate, another removable, replaceable tool slidably mounted on the plunger element, a series of notches on the plunger element, and a lever pivotally mounted on the tool and adapted to engage the sides of the notches to position the tool on the plunger element, the notches on the plunger element being aligned with the notches on the bed plate.

CHARLES WILLIAM CHENEY. 

